Hey, friends. How are you doing? This weather here in Austin is just W-I-L-D. We have been extremely grateful to still have our power on, but it has been a mess in most of the city and Texas at large. I really hope you all are safe out there. It’s scary and devastating how low the temps were getting while many were without heat, water supplies is now on boil alert and pipes have been bursting. Praying this resolves so soon (temps are on the rise, finally!) and everyone stays safe as possible in the meantime. Some websites I think are helpful are included here (even though I may be a bit late getting this out):
For information about warming centers
For food, water and gas in Austin
My clinicals have been cancelled this week, so I was able to catch up on some school assignments and had a second to pop on here.
I am continuing recaps on through this past fall. It won’t take long because I was in a pretty busy, yet monotonous, schedule of clinicals and school work. I reflect on this past Autumn so fondly though. I treasure that time with my mom and Pete, and it was a few months I won’t forget! I want to record a few of the fun details so I don’t forget them.
The typical day looked like:
- 0630- Wake up & have breakfast (usually oatmeal with berries & pb & coffee (at least 2 cups)) get ready for the day while listening to the Cribsiders podcast, spend time reading my Bible
- 0720/0730- Leave the house and call my friend, Clair. We talked almost every day during this past fall since we were on the same schedule. I loved that.
- 0830- Get to clinical and spend the day learning alll about pediatrics (so fun- one of my favorite rotations!). (I also had a Starbucks run squeezed in at lunch time. The baristas knew my order by heart by the end of the rotation, haha- I miss them now!).
- 1700: Wrap up the day and head back home, listen to podcasts on the way home
- 1745: Go for a run/walk
- 1900: Dinner (usually one of my massive chopped salads or something my mom prepared- I was spoiled by her cookin’!)
- 1930-about 2300: Work on homework/logging clinical cases/read to fall asleep
Then do it all again the next day!
I had a couple days off during the week to pour into my school work which was much needed. It was probably the most assignment heavy semester we had yet. I look back and my head was just spinning with deadlines. It helped that I enjoyed the content (peds and perinatal).
On the Monday after the race, September 14th, I scheduled the day off so I could be sore in peace.
On September 19th, we decided to pick up some sushi from Kroger. Sushi is an essential meal whenever my mom and I are together. This was so delicious & fresh- the sushi chefs were right there making it. We enjoyed every bite!
September 20th our sweet nephew, Will, was born! He arrived earlier than we had anticipated, but he is healthy and was cared for so well. We are so thankful & cannot wait to meet him. It hurts my heart we still haven’t, but we are looking forward to meeting him this year!
The week of September 20th I drove back to Austin for my “on campus intensive” that had gone virtual. It was so nice to be back with DJ for a few days, but gosh, that was a stressful week! The schedule was jam-packed & we had things like mock interviews in front of our peers- no thank you! Some fun highlights were seeing my friends (I was so sad we couldn’t be in person to hangout!) and learning to suture (I have some work to do, but it’s so much fun, and I look forward to getting better at this!).
I headed back to Keller the weekend after OCI to keep up with clinicals and my mom made this delicious zucchini, quinoa and beets salad. YUM
Throughout my time there, one of my favorite breakfasts my mom cooked was this egg white frittata with lemongrass balsamic, avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers and spinach.
Here is a “driving to clinical” picture. I thought it was so pretty with the birds along the power lines/~stop lights~ and the moon still hanging around.
On October 2nd, my mom and I went out on the town! We found an outdoor patio in Keller at Keller Tavern that had live music. It was a relaxing and beautiful evening & the music was great! We felt nice & safe sitting with plenty of distance from everyone else.
We ordered their sweet potato tots- these are oh so sweet, but oh so addictive!!!
At the end of the night, we let out our friend’s dogs since they were out of town. I think you will all appreciate how large they are!! I think they are taller than me! They are the sweetest things. Apollo (the black and white blurry one, lol!) was Jade’s best friend <3
On October 3rd, I was working on school work from home. My mom also was working from home, so about noon we split a pizza. It’s those little things and memories that just are really so special, ya know?
On October 9th DJ drove to Keller to hang with us for the weekend. I was practically ready to go to sleep by the time he arrived around 9:30 pm, but when he arrived, I got a second wind and decided we should have an impromptu date night! I knew he would love the chill, outdoor space at Keller Tavern.
And of course, I made sure we ordered the sweet potato tots again! Déjà vu!
The next day, October 10th, my mom made these classic sandwiches from my childhood for the guys. Here is the recipe!
I don’t eat meat often anymore, but I tried a bite, and they were as tasty as I remembered! So so good!
DJ’s bday was October 6th, so we wanted to make sure to celebrate big time while he was here! We headed to Fort Worth for an unforgettable meal.
The restaurant we tried is called rise (recommended by my preceptor!). They are well known for their soufflés. If you have been around here for a while, you know soufflés are basically our obsession. We discovered them originally at Cafe Jacqueline (a magical experience) and then tried making them at home a couple times thereafter. Austin does not have anywhere that offers actual soufflés (that we could find), but Fort Worth has this gem!
We sat out on their gorgeous patio and started with their fluffy bread served prior to the meal.
OK, so one dish we were told we have to try is their marshmallow soup, and goodness gracious, it lived up to the hype.
We tried a variety of so many different soufflés, I couldn’t even tell you which was the favorite- every single one was spectacular. We each ordered a savory one for our main and a sweet one for dessert.
https://videopress.com/v/8j4nbX6t?preloadContent=metadata
Oh, believe it or not, we still had room to enjoy some classic dirt when we came home.
I only had a little bit of my clinical rotation left after this. I will recap that next!
Stay safe and warm, y’all <3
Question for you:
- Any songs you are loving lately? I need to revamp my playlist!
glad to hear you are fairing ok with this crazy winter storm effecting Texas! Stay safe. What sauce did they serve with the sweet potato tots? We get them at a local dive place here and they serve it with a cinnamon butter dip and it is soooo tasty! I recently tried making (and eating) chocolate souffle for the first time. it was pretty simple and tasty. the recipe is here on my Lori-ize it blog https://loriizeit.wordpress.com/2021/02/08/chocolate-souffle/
Hi, Lori! Thank you so much. Ohhh so if I remember correctly I think it’s a super sweet marshmallow dip. But I have to say nothing beats a good cinnamon butter dip- yum!! I think I would prefer that!!
Ahhh thank you for sharing your recipe!! Definitely bookmarking this to try out 🙂
I’m so glad you’re doing okay! My heart has been bursting for everyone that’s been without power or water or any help at all. I hate hearing people around me dismissing everything that’s happening just because we’re “used to winter” in my area. The lack of empathy makes me so mad! Anyway, I’ll stop ranting now to tell you that the food you share always makes me want to pack up and move to Austin LOL. I’m back on my goal to move to San Antonio in the next couple of years though so hopefully I’ll be able to experience some of the places you share eventually! Also, I want to cuddle with those giant doggos!
Thank you, Pamela!! I agree, people’s lack of empathy was definitely infuriating in this situation.
I love San Antonio- I hope you are able to make that move happen!! And if you ever wanted to explore Austin, it’s right down the road! 🙂
Haha as it so happens, now Austin is on the list of possibilities for the move. Either city would be nice, I think!
Yes absolutely ☺️
What a fun post!! The food looks so good, the sweet potato tots and marshmallow soup look like winners to me. I do hope your pipes don’t freeze and your heat stays on! Thanks for all the updates! love, your Ohio mom
It was all so delicious! Thanks for stopping in 🙂
It’s so good to hear from you Mackenzie. I’m glad to hear that you have not been without power. We have heard horrible reports and seen pictures of the suffering going on in Texas and I’ve been keeping Texas in my prayers.
Hi, Ruth! So good to hear from you too!! Thank you for keeping Texas in your prayers during the snowstorm <3 Hope you are well!!
We are well – Thank you. even better now that spring is here. 🙂
I am so happy to hear! 💐🌷🌸
Glad to hear you’re staying warm and hydrated! The crazy weather here and the lack of heat during it all has been heartbreaking. On the bright side, the weather seems to be the reason we’re getting an update from you 🙂
I love that you sketched out your daily routine last fall! I always feel nostalgic for old routines right as I know they’re about to change, and what a nice way for you to preserve yours for memory! Sounds like you had an awesome time in Keller, and how special that you got to live a mini life with your mom and Pete. And that cooking! Your mom seems specially skilled at throwing together veggie-heavy-deliciousness that makes my mouth water!
Congratulations on your nephew!! I think nothing is more exciting than new babies (but maybe that’s just my phase in life right now ha!). Can’t wait for y’all to meet him, I’m sure he’s as perfect in real life as in that photo.
And finally, thank you so much for the soufflé restaurant! Oh wow yum, I can’t wait to add that to my “to-try” list! Marshmallow soups sounds so strange, but I could see how it’d have potential, and with your ringing endorsement, I’m excited to give it a try sometime.
Hi Taylor!! Sorry I am just getting around to your comment! How are you doing?!
I started to realize at some point how wonderful just having a routine can be & how I also start to miss it once things change up! It really is the little things day to day I find I get nostalgic for.
My mom makes a lot of vegan dishes (even though they aren’t vegan) and they are always sooo great!! It has always shown me how delicious and versatile veggies can be in cooking.
Haha I totalllly agree with you about the babies!! I am also discovering baby fever is a VERY real phenomenon.
I felt the same way about the marshmallow soup! Interestingly, there is no true marshmallow in it, but rather mini souffles that look like marshmallows- so the soup is very savory! If you are ever in the Fort Worth area, highlyyy recommend!!
Have a great week and thank you tons for stopping in 🙂
A Mac update YAY!!!! Sending you so much love sweet lady! I have been thinking about you constantly and I hope you are hanging int here with ALL the craziness! And I am so proud of all that you are accomplishing! Med/nursing school isn’t easy in the best of times, I can’t even imagine how you are doing it now. You really are a rockstar!
Okay I LOVE how you used military time! That made my day reading this! I lvl that you were able to talk to your friend! That is one thing I miss about New York because I sue to do that all the time! Baristas who know you literally are the best! Oh my gosh your Mom is such a phenomenal cook! My mouth is literally watering seeing all these pics of food! And I agree with you! Grocery store sushi IS good. I feel like it is such a hidden gem! Oh my Lanta that fondue looks SO yummy! And you and DJ legit are the cutest (I know I always say that, but it is true!) I hope you have an awesome week sweet lady! Sending you so much love and prayers and good vibes! <3
Hey, Kate!!! Thank you for your super sweet words <3
Haha I basically think in military time at this point, so it just felt natural more than the standard clock, lol!
YES yes yes! I think it's made fresh almost every day with the sushi chefs, so it's always so tasty. Hmmmm I may have to pick some up today!
Aww you are so sweet. Thank you so much! I hope you have an awesome week tooo and your comment brightened my day 🙂
I’m glad to hear that you all are faring well in this crazy weather! Our pipes froze once down in South Florida. I remember it vividly because I was 11 and had chicken pox and my mom had to heat up pots of water on the stove. We just got back from Florida and it was all about the seafood, but oh my goodness, your food looks so tasty. I hope your week is going well! xx
Hi, Amy!! Thank you so much. Having pipes freeze is so awful- I’m surprised to hear you encountered that in Florida!
Nothing beats good seafood, and it is just the best on the coast- glad you all enjoyed while you were there! I hope you have a great week ahead 🙂
I’m glad you are unscathed by Austin’s woes and yesterday, in a comment, I asked if your mom and Pete were okay. I just Googled Keller from Austin, so guess that the three hours’ distance helped and they were also unscathed. Those are great photos of you and DJ and the one of your mom and Pete was also nice. That dog looked like a Great Dane – or a pony. 🙂 The bread called out to me (as usual) but those sliders would have won out – they looked delicious. I could smell them through the screen. Glad you enjoyed your rotation, despite such a heavy load of schoolwork. Thanks for showing us how well you sew too – the stitches look like they are on the side of a football.
Aw thank you!! I agree- closer to a pony, lol!!
Still have a long ways to go with learning to suture, but it is quite fun!! Thanks for reading 🙂
Almost there, Mack …. homestretch now!!!!
Oh my goodness, those tater tots are killing me – that is the one things I really miss living in Singapore …. and sweet potato tater tots … that is levelled up!
Yes sooo close!! And my senioritis is kicking in – I don’t think that applies in graduate school, but I definitely have a case of it.
Ohhh, I am so excited to share this with you— here is a link to some sweet potato tots that look so good! https://minimalistbaker.com/easy-baked-sweet-potato-tater-tots/. I haven’t made them yet, but I have them bookmarked. They seem pretty easy! Have a great week ahead, friend!!
I’m afraid senioritis will strike where it will, graduate school and otherwise! You’ve worked so long and hard, I’m not surprised you are feeling it!
Thank you sooooooo much for the recipe … very excited!
Hugssssss!
Haha I think you are right!! Hugs right back 🙂